


my harry potter

by larrystylinsobbing



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Fluffy Ending, Hipster Harry, M/M, Thoughtful Louis, Writer Louis, Writers, added my own pet as a character oops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-28
Updated: 2013-09-28
Packaged: 2017-12-27 21:13:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/983683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larrystylinsobbing/pseuds/larrystylinsobbing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis decided that if Harry were a book, he would be one of the little Sudoku paperbacks that Louis always kept in his bathroom. He had yet to solve any of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	my harry potter

Everyone has a story; a favorite song, a reason to cry, a weak spot, a favorite chair that they can cuddle up in on chilly nights. We pass a thousand stories every day, whether it be the check-out boy at the grocery store or the girl that stared a little too long with judgmental eyes. There are a million different tiny, insignificant-seeming events that shape every single one of us into the person we are today and build us into the story book that we call ourselves.  
Louis views the world like a library. Each person, a book he could easily pick up and skim through the summary to see if it seems good enough to read. He’s a firm believer that every person we meet makes a change on who we are. He wants to change the world.  
Louis has played every character imaginable. He’s been a best friend, an archenemy, and the one that got away. And while he likes to think he’s changed a few lives, it isn’t good enough. You see he’s still never played the part of a lover. And maybe he wants someone else to play the part of his lover as well.  
He has it all planned out. Louis knows how he will feel when he’s found the one. They will be a book that is endless, yet not long enough. A book he can reread over and over no matter how many years pass and get lost in the pages. So really, Louis just needs to find his Harry Potter.   
Throughout his life, Louis has earned the trait ‘outgoing’ for the simple reason that he wanted to make an impact. Many of the people in life have taken his inquisitiveness as genuine niceness, and Louis let the title stay. After all, he knew his thought process was quite odd, and explaining it fully could prove to be quite a task.  
On trips to the grocery store, Louis makes friends with the staff, and at Starbucks he asks hipsters about their views on politics. His favorite thing to do is ask different people of completely different social statuses the same questions. The varied opinions he gets make him thoughtful.  
He works as a writer; composing books on human nature. Louis took the job partly because he was good at it, and partly because it gave him an excuse to meet people. If ever questioned, he could just say it was part of his research. He had found that people would do anything to see their name in print.   
Every day Louis visited the park that was two blocks down from his house. People at parks liked to talk. Also the walk there was the only form of exercise that he could find it in himself to do.  
But lately Louis had found himself in a rut. It seemed that after the months and months of his daily park trips, he had run out of people to meet. And while the sweet old woman who lived in the apartments down the street was lovely company, her book was much too long and overly descriptive for Louis’ liking. He was craving something fresh and exciting.   
It was a Tuesday. Louis hated Tuesdays. While most people were grumpy about Mondays, they weren’t really that bad. Monday was the day to hear all the exciting news of the weekend, while Tuesday lacked any kind of thrill.   
Louis was sitting in his regular spot at the park; the only bench that had been there since the parks opening. It was his favorite place, because carved in the old wood were hundreds of initials and hearts and doodles, and each one held a story.   
Amidst his brooding and boredom, Louis spotted a strange sight. A boy, one whom he had never seen before, who stood at about six foot, with feet too big for his body and hair much too long, was stumbling around the park. His eyes were wide and joyful and by the way he was around curiously, Louis could tell it was his first time there. What interested him the most though, is the fact that walking at his side, secured safely on a leash, was a completely hairless, grey spotted cat.  
Unable to resist, Louis cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Hey, mate. C’mere a second?”  
The boy startleed at that, nearly tripping over his pigeon toes. He looked around to be sure that he was in fact, the one that Louis was addressing. Finding the park empty aside from himself, the boy nearly skipped over to Louis’ bench. He beamed brilliantly, revealing the largest, most crooked smile Louis had ever seen. It was almost like looking at a less creepy version of The Joker.  
Once he was within earshot Louis asked, “What’re you doing?”  
“Erm, well I mean. You asked me to come over here, so. I guess that’s what I’m doing.” He seemed confused by the question.  
Louis had already begun riffling through the boy’s pages, searching for answer. So far he’s stuck on the most puzzling introduction he’s ever read.  
“Well why did you shave your cat?” He asked. It’s a good place to start.  
“Why the hell would I shave my cat?”  
“Well, mate. I hate to break it to you, but it hasn’t got any hair.”  
“Oh.” The boy laughed lightly, “Yeah, she was born like that. She’s called a Sphinx. Cool little things I think. Her name’s Eleanor. You can say hello if you want.”  
And now things were getting even weirder. Louis looked down to see the cat giving him a very blank frown, and this boy was giving him a very giddy smile. He wasn’t quite sure what to think.  
So he settled on a greeting.   
“Hello, Eleanor. No offense, but you’re kind of creepy.”  
“Hey!” And now the boy seemed offended, “She’s not creepy. She’s very pretty. You wouldn’t like it very much if she called you creepy, now would you?”  
Louis shrugged, “I guess you’ve got yourself a point. Why are you taking your cat on a walk anyways? No offense, but it’s not exactly normal.”  
“It would be cruel to keep her locked away from the world.” And now his smile was gone and his eyes were darker and Louis wanted to read on.  
Louis scooted over a bit and patted the empty space beside him. “Sit down.”  
The boy did as he was told. His frown was melting away, as if it couldn’t bear to be there any longer. Louis hated people who pretended to be happy, and it seemed as if it wasn’t an act with this boy. He was getting more intriguing by the second.  
“What’s your name?” It seemed like a good way to get to know someone.  
“I’m Harry.”  
And oh. That most definitely caught Louis’ attention. His search for his very own Harry Potter had never led to someone with the actual name.  
“I’m Louis. What do you like to do on rainy days?” And that was his favorite question to ask. Most of the time the people he asked seemed to think the question was useless or silly, but he thought it was very important and the person’s reaction to the question was just as crucial as their answers. With the amount of days it rained in London, it was necessary that he found someone who knew how to enjoy them.  
But the boy, Harry, smiled dreamily, as if he was thinking wistfully. Yes, he was quite unlike any of the other books Louis had read.  
“I think,” Harry started off syrupy slow, “My most favorite thing to do on rainy days is to build a massive blanket fort against my sliding glass door, and watch the raindrops race each other. I used to do it a lot with my mum, but then she said I was too old for those sorts of games. I haven’t done it since. But I would like to.”  
And wow okay. Louis wasn’t expecting an answer so detailed or personal, but he wasn’t complaining. It seemed as if he was already reading Harry’s book way out of order, since he had went from a name to a childhood memory, but then again that only made things more challenging. Louis loved a challenge.   
“Why haven’t I ever seen you at this park before? I come here every day.”  
“Well, erm. To be honest, I’m a bit lost. I take Eleanor on a walk once a week, and I wanted to do a bit of exploring this go round. But now I don’t know where I am really. I was trying to get back home.”  
“Well,” Louis decided to seize his opportunity, “Looks like I’m gonna have to show the way back. What’s your street name?”  
Harry’s smile grew impossibly wider, “I think that would be lovely. I live on Clover Trace.”  
Louis pushed himself up from the bench, mindful of Eleanor slinking around his feet. Harry mimicked his actions, and stood beside him, making their height difference much more prominent. Louis bit back any crude comment he could’ve made about just how big Harry was. It was much too early for him to start pushing the boundaries.   
Due to the sheer amount of times he spent walking around searching for new people to read, Louis knew exactly where to go. Harry followed him dutifully, along with a frowning Eleanor.   
“Are you sure you know where we’re going?” Harry asked after about five minutes of walking.  
“I know perfectly where I’m going. I know we’ve just met, but you really shouldn’t doubt me.” Louis snorted.  
“Well honestly I just thought this was your way of chatting me up.”  
“Trust me. You’ll know if I’m chatting you up. I like to be extremely blunt. If I’m going to get to know you, then you’ll have to know a few things about me as well.”  
Harry paused before saying, “You want to get to know me?”  
“Course I do. It’s part of my research.”  
“Research?”  
And now was time for Louis’ famous line, “I’m a writer. I write about basic human behavior. It helps when I get to know as many people as possible.”  
“That sounds cool. Can you guess what my favorite color is?”  
“Pink.”  
“Hey how’d you know?” And now Harry looked a bit wary of Louis. He walked a little farther beside Louis.  
“Lucky guess, mate.”  
“Oh that’s pretty cool. What’s your favorite color?”  
Louis smiled. This was one of his favorite questions. “It changes depending on the thing I love the most at the time. It’s been orange for quite a while now. I’ve got an orange cat.”  
“I think that’s quite lovely. Oh hey we’re on my street!”  
Louis nodded in disappointment. He wasn’t ready to say good-bye yet.  
“Hey.” Harry sounded shy, “Maybe I should give you my mobile. Ya know, just in case you want to do more research.”  
Louis smiled and pulled out his iPhone, letting Harry type in his number. He watched Harry stumble down the street, dragging Eleanor behind him. He decided that if Harry were a book, he would be one of the little Sudoku paperbacks that Louis always kept in his bathroom. He had yet to solve any of them.  
-x-  
Louis went home and watched a tutorial on how to solve Sudoku puzzles.  
-x-  
It was a week later on a stormy day, thunder shaking the walls in his apartment and rain slamming against his windows, that Louis finally texted Harry. Having no interest in seeming too eager, he had let the boy linger in the back of his mind. But now that both a suitable amount of time had passed and a good conversation starter had arisen, he decided it was as good as a chance as he would get.  
A streak of lightening flashed in his peripheral vision as he typed out the simple greeting.  
lovely storm for a blanket fort if i do say so myself.  
Within seconds he got a reply.  
but blanket forts are no fun alone. i’ve settled on warm tea and a snuggle with Eleanor.  
no offense mate, but Eleanor doesn’t seem like much of a snuggler.   
you’d be surprised. she’s quite warm.  
we should meet for coffee  
right now???  
course silly.  
Louis knew he was being ridiculous in thinking that Harry would possibly brave the storm raging outside just to see a boy he had met once, but there was nothing wrong in being hopeful. He was also all out of tea, and storms made him craze the stuff like mad.  
ok meet me at the starbucks we passed on the walk to my street. i’ll be there in 15  
Louis grinned at the screen, shaking his head with disbelief. It seemed as if he had really lucked out when he decided that Harry would be an interesting stranger to read. So far the boy was unlike any book he had seen before.  
With a slight skip in his step, Louis threw on a sweater several sizes too big and wiggled into some plain black jeans. After a glance in the mirror, he realized his hair was a mess, but then again it seemed as if it was always that way, so he didn’t even bother. There were bigger challenges ahead.   
It seemed as if the only shoes that would be even remotely practical were rain boots, and Louis was pretty ashamed to even admit that he owned a pair. Nonetheless, he slipped them on, cringing at how horribly they clashed with his comfy outfit.   
After a bit of searching, Louis found a plain black umbrella, which he hadn’t even known he owned. He sent the poor object a telepathic apology. It was about to take a beating.  
Taking a deep breath, Louis stepped out the door and into the chaos that was the outside world. Instantly his boots were completely drenched in the puddles lining the streets. As he scuttled along as quickly as he could, Louis cursed the natural forces of weather.   
The rain was coming down sideways, meaning that Louis’ umbrella was basically useless. He was drenched from head to toe within five minutes of slipping and sliding on the concrete. He only hoped that he was going the right way.  
Louis was tempted to just call it quits, before finally spotting the brightly lit Starbucks sign in the distance. To him, it was like seeing the gates of heaven. Speeding up, he skidding forward as fast as he could, nearly falling flat on his face on several occasions. There were cute acquaintances to learn about. Now was the time to be a warrior.  
Finally flinging open the door and stepping inside, Louis was met with Harry’s booming voice.  
“Why the fuck would you ask me to do this?!”   
Louis glanced around the store, noticing that they were the only ones there besides the two very bored looking employees. He answered Harry’s question with a smile and a shake of his soaking hair. To his surprise, a very wet Harry already had two steaming paper cups waiting for the pair on a tiny table set between two squishy bean bags.  
“What’ve you ordered for us?” Louis asked.  
“Two teas. I’m not sure if you’re one of those freaks who likes his plain, so I didn’t add anything to it. But I added basically their whole stock of sugar to mine.”  
“I’ve always thought that you can tell a lot about a person based on how they take their tea,” Louis said thoughtfully, “But I still haven’t figured out what exactly it tells you.”  
Harry smiled coyly, “I think it means I’m sweet like sugar, of course. What about you then? How do you take your tea?”  
“Three milks, no sugar.”  
“Well that just means you like creamy, white stuff.” Harry smirked.  
“If that’s your way of getting me to admit my sexuality, then you’re a bloody pervert and not at all as innocent as those damn dimples make you out to be.”  
“I’ve gotta keep you on your toes. I mean, I could’ve outright asked if you like cock in your mouth. I was actually being polite.” And Harry even added a little wink.  
“If it makes you feel any better than the answer is yes.”  
Harry pulled an expression of innocence, “Yes, what?”  
“Yes, I like bloody cock in my mouth.” Louis snapped, blushing for the first time in years.  
“Same here. We should start a club.”  
“A club for people who like cock in their mouth? Wouldn’t we all just end up sucking each other off?”  
“Exactly. A blowjob club.”  
Louis sighed, “Love, that’s called an orgy.”  
Harry furrowed his eyebrows, “Oh I guess you’re right. Well then we can start an orgy club.”  
“You know what; I think I’d rather go back out in the rain than finish this conversation.”  
Harry pouted in a way that was much too cute, “Well I think you’re a pretty shit researcher if your research ends in orgy talk. Unless of course you’re an orgy researcher. I think that would be a pretty cool job to have.”  
Louis made a mental note to add, ‘speaks his thoughts aloud aimlessly’ on the list of characteristics he had written about Harry. So far the list, just like Harry, was a bunch of jumbled up facts that didn’t quite go together. It was rather exciting to connect all the pieces.  
“Sounds pretty prestigious if you ask me. Watching huge groups of people fucking and recording your findings. Science truly is amazing I’d say.” Louis said after taking a small sip of his piping tea.   
“No, no you can’t just watch it. You’ve got to get in on the action. Otherwise your research is gonna be way wrong. A good orgy is about feeling, not visuals.”  
Louis snorted, “You seem very familiar on the topic. Anything you’d like to share with me?”  
“Are you asking if I’ve ever been part of an orgy before,” Harry scoffed, “Of course I haven’t. Too many body fluids for my tastes. I like a good ol’ fashioned, one-on-one fuck.”  
“I didn’t ask what you liked, Harold.”   
“My name’s not Harold.”  
“Mine isn’t either.”  
Harry frowned, “You’re much more annoying than I thought you’d be.”  
Louis simply smiled, “See, we already know so much about each other.”   
Harry hummed, a content, closed mouthed smile on his face, and looked out the window. The storm had cleared up considerably, and weak rays of sunlight were peaking through the thin clouds. Louis noticed the change in the weather and stood up abruptly.  
“Well looks like it’s my time to go.”  
Without a good-bye to Harry, he walked briskly out of the shop without looking back. He lived by the saying ‘always leave them wanting more.’  
-x-  
On the same day next week, around the same time, Louis invited Harry to go ice skating.  
On the same day two weeks later, around the same time, Louis invited Harry to see a movie.  
And so it became their weekly thing.  
-x-  
It was on the fifth weekly thing, the two of them hunched over a checker board in Louis’ apartment, when Harry finally gave into his curiousity.  
“Louis what’re we even doing.”  
“We’re playing checkers. What does it look like we’re doing?”  
Harry chuckled lightly and shook his head, “No you doofus. What’s going on? Are we friends or? I would be a bit disappointed if you viewed me as just more of your research, if I’m honest.”  
The answer came easily to Louis. After all, he had spent his whole life looking for a book like Harry, “You’re my friend, yes. But you’re also research. But I’ve never done research on this particular topic before.”  
“And what’s the topic.”  
“Finding my Harry Potter.”  
“What’s that supposed to mean?”  
Louis just laughed.  
-x-  
Reading Harry was becoming increasing difficult by the day. It seemed as if everything the boy did contradicted what Louis had previously believed about him. Just when he thought Harry was feminine and dainty, he found out the boy drove a cherry red, 1969 convertible mustang. Just when he thought Harry was mature and serious, Louis watched him giggle when his phone hit sixty-nine percent. Just when he thought Harry was fashionable, he walked into Louis’ apartment wearing a shirt sleeve as a bandana. It was as if the more he found out about the boy, the less he understood him.  
One night, when the boys were sleepy and quiet both adorned in giant sweaters, (Louis’ was so massive that he hadn’t even had to bother with pants,) and the older boy’s glasses were perched smartly on his nose. They sipped hot cocoa almost silently and let the sounds Harry’s apartment complex fill their silence. Louis used these vulnerable moments as an opportunity to catch the boy off guard with his questions. Tonight was no different.  
“Have you ever been in love?”  
Harry turned to look out the window at the night sky and reply, “I fall deeper in love with the moon each night. It’s more beautiful than anything I’ve ever seen.”  
And that was it. That was the final straw for Louis. He was sick and tired of getting headaches just thinking about Harry. Now he had to do something he had never done before.  
“Harry, what in the fuck are you? I’ve tried so bloody hard to figure you out, but it’s like you’re purposely fucking with my head. You’ve got to help me out here, because I’m going bloody insane.”  
Harry frowned slightly and furrowed his eyebrows, “Um. That was a bit rude.”  
“Not as rude as being a confusing little shit.”  
“Well. What exactly do you want from me?”  
Louis pondered his question. What he really wanted was to understand the enigma that is Harry Styles, but it wasn’t really as simple enough to request. So he settled for something easy.  
“I want you to tell me about yourself. So that I can learn how you project yourself.”  
Harry nodded, “Alright. My favorite animal is seahorses.”  
“And why is that.”  
“Well like. Male seahorses can get pregnant and that’s pretty fucking cool.”  
Louis scrunched up his nose, “You think male pregnancy is cool?”  
“No, I mean like. They basically bend the laws of nature just to fuck up gender roles. That’s pretty punk.”  
“Well alright Harold, I’ll be sure to remember that you love sea horses and men getting pregnant.”  
“I think you’ve gone and turned this into something strange.”  
And now was a glorious opportunity to be a little shit, so Louis decided to take it, “Has that been your goal this whole time? That’s why you’ve been sticking around with me? To impregnate me?”  
“Yes, you’ve caught on. I’m going to get you pregnant and then leave you.”   
“You wouldn’t do that!” Louis clutched at his heart feigning hurt, “You’re tearing this family apart!”  
“Well then I’ll take the baby. Then leave you.” Harry nodded surely.  
“Mate, what the fuck are we doing?”  
“It’s called messing around. It’s what people do when they enjoy each other’s company. You seem a bit new to the whole friend thing.” Harry’s eyes gleamed with mischief.  
Louis smiled fondly, “I think you’re a bit of a cunt.”  
-x-  
From then on, Louis began asking Harry of his opinions, and why he had them. It was an easy way to open up the book that was Harry Styles and get very clear answers. Harry seemed to enjoy talking to Louis, almost as if he was eager to have someone to finally listen. So the arrangement worked perfectly for the two of them.  
The thing was, Louis knew he was developing feelings for the boy; and fast. He never acted on the feelings or spoken of them, because frankly he wasn’t done reading Harry yet. Until he was sure the curly haired boy’s book would have a happy ending, he was content with staring at him longingly and savoring the way his name tasted on his lips.   
Meanwhile in the exciting world of weather, London had finally seemed to clear up. It hadn’t rained in over a month. Louis was suffering from mild shock.  
This type of weather was what Louis thrived in. His skin darkened remarkably and his eyes shone brighter than usual. It was as if he had swallowed the sun, absorbed it’s radiance, and was able to carry it wherever he went. Summer was the season of Louis.  
Harry didn’t seem to share his sentiments. Bright light made his eyes squint feebly, and his elongated torso, which was built for oversized sweaters, looked awkward and uncomfortable in tank tops. It didn’t help that he chose to wear shorts that didn’t cover nearly enough of his thighs.   
Louis used this opportunity to take Harry outdoors as often as possible. From picnics to rollerblading, the curly haired boy seemed up for anything that Louis had to throw at him. Even though Harry easily got sweaty and exhausted from the sun’s rays, he never complained. Louis found it rather charming.  
That’s how they found themselves on an evening picnic. The sun was showing sign of setting, and the park they were at was losing it’s occupants. Over time, Louis had found that Harry much preferred to be outside at night, shrouded in darkness with a twinkle in his eye.  
“I wonder why the sky turns pink and orange when the sun sets.” Harry mused, laying back against the ratty blanket and stretching out his limbs on the ground.  
“It’s because orange is my favorite color, and the sky just wants to indulge me.” Louis said, as he copied Harry.  
“Well then the sky must love me more than you.”  
“And why would you say that?”  
Harry turned to look at Louis, “Because the sky’s most always blue.”  
Louis sighed contently and moved a bit closer to Harry. He was still testing the waters with the boy, but so far he was more than ready to take a swim. Harry had proven to be willing to put up with his bossiness and odd thoughtfulness, even that he liked those traits, which had often scared people off. Besides that, the boy looked good enough to eat.  
The sun had begun to set and a gentle breeze carried the whispers of chilly weather. The world was orange, just as Louis preferred. He even felt a bit orange if that was possible.  
“Louis?”  
Louis hummed in acknowledgment.  
“You asked me a while ago if I’ve ever been in love. But what about you? Have you ever loved someone?”  
Louis smiled, closing his eyes and letting the feeling of orange sink in, “Maybe I have and never realized it. Or maybe I’ve known from the start.”  
-x-  
When it finally rained, they built a blanket fort. Harry’s eyes glistened with moisture, but his smile settled easily. It was cozy and comfortable and a lot like home.  
Rain slapped violently against the windows, but that seemed only to brighten Harry’s mood. Louis, who needed sunlight and brightness to deal with daily life, was forced to bundle up in a huge sweater, which went down to his knees, and Harry’s duvet. He often found himself wondering how he managed to find sweaters so massive.  
It was growing darker by the second, and soon Louis was only able to make out the outline of Harry’s body. And although it was quite a nice outline indeed, he really did enjoy looking at Harry, so something needed to be done.  
“Harold, get outta the fort and get us a flashlight, yeah?”  
Harry possibly smiled, before crawling out of the fort, nearly knocking it all down in the process. Louis closed his eyes, using the other’s boy’s absence to breathe in deeply. Harry’s house always smelled so strongly of him, and the scent made Louis dizzy with euphoria.  
Finally, Harry returned, hands full of a massive amount of things, including two mugs of tea. Louis thought it was a miracle that Harry hadn’t spilled. He picked through the pile of stuff, turning on the flashlight in the process.  
The lighting was dim, and Harry’s eyelashes cast shadows over his cheeks. Louis watched the darkness dance across the boy’s features with each blink. There was something so innocently beautiful about Harry, which seemed to constantly surprise him.  
Harry continued rifling through the things he had brought, causing Louis to pay attention to them. There was another blanket, presumably for Harry, as well as pencils, two notebooks, and one last thing that caught Louis’ attention. He picked it up, studying it with awe, even though he had one just like it at home.  
“This is…this is Harry Potter.” Louis whispered to himself.  
“Yeah,” Harry replied, “It’s like my all time favorite book series.”  
Louis looked up sharply, dropping the book in the process. Something seemed to fall into place, a missing page from Harry’s book, which Louis had needed in order to complete his reading.   
Louis was in love.  
“Harry…”  
Harry turned, causing the shadows to move smoothly like a gentle breeze. His mouth was slightly parted, lips pink like flower petals. His eyes were green, but not dark, light and subtle and grassy fields with speckles of gold. He was the spring time, and Louis had been stuck inside for winter for much too long.  
Louis giggled quietly, feeling euphoric and slightly dizzy. Here he was, in love after searching and searching, and it was all falling into place.   
Without a hint of hesitation, Louis wrapped his fingers around the back of Harry’s neck and pulled him in for a long kiss. Harry gasped, almost jerking backwards in surprise, but after only a second of hesitation, he let Louis take control and kissed back softly.   
And so another chapter in both Louis and Harry’s books was written. And two books became one.


End file.
